Tuesday, March 31, 2020

2020 Travel the World - Week 13


I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.


This week's country is...



Uganda


Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. In terms of population, it is the second largest landlocked country in the world, second only to Ethiopia.

It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania.

In terms of land area, Uganda is roughly the size of the state of Oregon. However, Uganda has a population that is roughly ten times larger than Oregon’s!

About half of Uganda’s population is under the age of fourteen.

The country is mostly plateau with some rolling hills and low mountains. Grassland and tropical forest dominate the central region, with volcanic foothills in the east.

With eight major rivers and five huge lakes, water covers nearly one-fifth of Uganda


Lake Victoria forms the south-eastern corner of the country. It is Africa’s largest freshwater lake.

Uganda is best known for its gorillas, it also has other interesting wildlife.
Uganda is home to 11% of the world's bird population.
Uganda has 6.8% of the world's butterfly species.

Approximately half of Ugandans live on less than one dollar per day.


Uganda has one of the smallest churches in the world. Established in 1996. Bethel Church is approximately 7 1/2 feet wide and 8 feet tall. 

It is impolite to simply say, “Hi.” When greeting a Ugandan, it is customary to ask, “How are you?”

It is not uncommon for Ugandans to be late – punctuality is not very important. A person may arrive 30 minutes late, or sometimes even up to two hours after they were supposed to be there.

Pointing at a Ugandan with an index finger is an insult. When pointing, the whole arm should be used. 

Ugandan women are expected to dress modestly and should cover their legs. Ugandan men always wear pants, even in the hotter temperatures. Only boys wear shorts.


An English man might say he is going to spend a penny, drain the lizard, have a piddle to name a few while an American man might say he is going to take a leak. For Ugandans, their toilet euphemism is quite different. A polite Ugandan will say that he is going to make a short call. 
In the Western world, a rolex is a watch but in Uganda, a rolex is a very delicious omelette that locals make with pepper, tomatoes, cabbage and onion. It comes wrapped in a chapatti.

Peanuts are called g-nuts in Uganda.

If a Ugandan offers you a dish of fried grasshoppers when you visit, this signals that you are a special guest. Grasshoppers to Ugandans are like hotdogs to Americans. This treat is especially popular on the streets during the rainy time when grasshoppers are abundant.

The women of Uganda traditionally build the homes. They are responsible for constructing the walls of mud houses, while men build the roofs of these homes.

Uganda is suffering from an increase in deforestation. To reverse the effects of deforestation, policy makers have come up with a way to stop deforestation. In Uganda, for every tree cut down, you are expected to plant three more.

I decided to let this Uganda fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Bicycles, not cars, are the main mode of transportation in Uganda. With the poor road conditions that exist, these are a much cheaper and easier way to travel as they can access just about anywhere.



Here's the inside:



Thanks for stopping by my blog today!


Stamp Sets: Flourishes Enjoy the Ride and Unity Spring and Things stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa Ink

Papers: Recollections 110# Ivory and Tan and SU Early Espresso CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Enamel Dots and SU Ribbon

3 comments:

Lynn McAuley said...

I need to have training wheels on my bike these days!! Pretty, pretty card, Jeanette!

Beth Norman-Roberts said...

A very interesting read. I was surprised at a few things but having women making mud huts take the cake!

Cute card. I like bicycle cards.

kiwimeskreations said...

Now those were some very interesting facts!! Thanks Jeanette.
Love your bicycle card - that is gorgeous
Stay safe
Blessings
Maxine